Slain venture capitalist was suffocated by tape

MONTE SERENO, CA (AP) - Authorities say a wealthy Silicon Valley venture capitalist was killed during a brutal home-invasion when three intruders bound and gagged him with packaging tape as they beat his wife and told her to "be quiet if you want to live."

According to a police affidavits unsealed Friday, 66-year-old Raveesh "Ravi" Kumra died on his kitchen floor from asphyxiation at his mansion in Monte Sereno on Nov. 30.

Santa Clara County prosecutors have charged three men with murder and one woman as an accessory in the killing. Police believe Kumra, a cell-phone entrepreneur and former owner of a popular winery concert venue, was set up by a prostitute he had hired who told members of Oakland gang members about his lifestyle.

Prosecutors say the three intruders who stole cash, jewelry and rare coins, are eligible for the death penalty.